Seven in Ten Companies Plan to Increase Retail Media Budgets, But Scale and Measurement Remain Key Barriers

Transunion Research reveals growing investments and challenges in retail media networks

Trannion Announced newly entered The Path to Buy Institute (P2PI), Annual Trends Studies 2025, Emphasizing the continuing growth of investment in retail media along with persistent challenges in optimizing these platforms. The study shows that 70% of companies plan to increase its budgets to retail media in 2025. However, persistent challenges, such as the range, targeting and measurement, remain key obstacles to wider growth in the retail industry.

“Retail media undeniably transform the way the brands associate with shoppers, but showing its value is not always easy,” said Mark Rose, Chief Executive, Market Strategy for Transunion’s retail strategy. “The brands face challenges with targeting and consistency of measurement across retailers and comparing investment return across retail media and other digital media channels. The key is to solve these challenges with the development of harmonized proven procedures for expanding participation in the growth of retail media throughout the industry. ”

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Brands are optimistic for the future of retail media
Eighty percent (80%) of traders recognize the value of retail media and claim to be equally efficient or more efficient than other digital channels. While the annual trade budgets traditionally formed the basis for retail media budgets, the survey found that 70% of retail media expenditure increased for these annual budgets.

In accordance with this, respondents said that retail media expenses were less likely to come from trade budgets (reduced from 26% of retail media expenditure to 2024 in 2024) and more and more of the media budgets (74 increase % of retail expenditure in 2023 to 80% in 2024).

Identifying a room to improve
However, the gaps in the measurement and assignment of the return on investment across retailers remain critical obstacles. The study identifies key priorities for traders to address these questions, including:

• 88% to seek evidence of sales extracts and return on campaign investment
• 45% favors comparable measurements and assignment of a cross retailer
• 42% require standardized metrics and definitions
• 39% emphasizes the need offline and online assignment

Research has found significant differences in retail media networks throughout the industry. On average, brands were 3.4 times more likely to evaluate the largest national retail platforms such as excellent or very good in abilities related to scale, targeting and measurement.

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“As retailers accept industry standards, they will see improved evaluation,” Rose added. “However, retailers in addition to the largest national platform will also have to simplify and streamline how brands can work with them for large national campaigns.”

Areas in which retailers are rated as very good or excellent abilities

According to a brand report, they are currently working with an average of eight retail media networks, with almost half (49%) to deal with a maximum of five networks. The platforms of national retailers lead in adoption, reflecting their competitive advantage in the targeting, management of operation and measurement.

“Retail media can transform the brands associated with consumers, but we must deal with its challenges to ensure that its real growth meets projection and in a way that allows wide participation in the retail industry,” Rose concluded. “Focus on the scale, targeting and measurement by the key to unlock its full potential for all involved.”